Jon Lovitz, Dana Carvey join forces for show at SLS Las Vegas

The’s show’s name has sparked an ongoing debate. “The Lady and The Liar” was one tossed-away title. Also rebuffed: “The Temple Woman and The Fibber.”

“ ‘The Temple Woman and the Fibber’ would be like two totally new, different characters,”Jon Lovitz said, with evident sarcasm, during a phone conversation about this new show on the Strip. “They would be nothing like the Church Lady and the Pathological Liar.”

The other person on the line, Dana Carvey, dusts off his George H.W. Bush impression. “We’re not gonna do it. Not gonna. Wouldn’t be prudent.”

The two “Saturday Night Live” veterans have landed on a safer and more accurate name, “Reunited,” for an extended engagement launching in January at the Foundry at SLS Las Vegas. The show’s launch weekend is 9 p.m. Jan. 6-7, with added dates Feb. 3-4, March 17-18, March 31-April 1; June 31 and July 1-4; Sept. 1-2; Oct. 6-7; Oct. 27-28 (tickets start at $49; go to foundrlv.com or slslasvegas.com or call 702-761-7617).

The comedians have been close since their days on “SNL” in the late-’80s, when Lovitz became famous as Tommy Flanagan, president of Pathological Liars Anonymous and the Master Thespian. Carvey rose to popularity with the Church Lady, Garth of “Wayne’s World” and Hans of the dopey bodybuilding duo Hans and Franz.

Even armed with that collection of characters, expect Lovitz and Carvey to perform a primarily stand-up show, incorporating a high degree of improv and taking questions from the audience in the 600-seat space. There is no plan, as yet, to assume costumes and have Church Lady riff with Master Thespian, for example.

“We have been developing stand-up individually, which has been fun for us, and we’ll have a keyboard and drum set (Carvey plays both) onstage, with some video in an interactive setting,” Carvey explains. “We’ll be bounding material off each other. It will be fun and loose.”

“(Carvey)’s told me to look at topics and expand on those, and not just go for a short setup and punch line,” Lovitz said. “It can take some stand-up years to figure that out.”

Though both have headlined in Las Vegas independently, Carvey and Lovitz were reunited serendipitously. Lovitz was a cast member with Vince Neil of Motley Crue this year on “Celebrity Apprentice,” and Neil had been asking Lovitz about performing regularly in Vegas. Their mutual friend Michael Politz, founder of Las Vegas Food & Beverage magazine, connected them to Fizz at Caesars Palace managing partner Steve Kennedy, who signed on to help make the production a reality.

Lovitz suggested a co-headlining show to Carvey, who was also eyeballing a longer commitment on the Strip. Politz wound up turning the idea over to SLS Entertainment Director Matt Minichino, who was glad to accommodate what will be the first comedy booking at the Foundry.

“It’s us being funny,” Carvey says, explaining the show’s format. Lovitz adds, “We’re funny, and we have a funny friendship.”

CAPTIVE AUDIENCE

“Spy Escape and Evasion Las Vegas,” which opened for a limited run at Stratosphere last Wednesday, is being extended through December. The current series runs through Saturday with performances starting at 5 p.m. through Saturday. Additional dates will be announced shortly.

“Spy Escape” is essentially an entertaining seminar hosted by ex-CIA operative Jason Hanson,who shares techniques he learned during his six-year stint working as a spy.

Among them: How to escape rope, duct tape and zip ties in less than five seconds; how to modify your home to ward off burglars; self-defense techniques using a common pen; how to become a “human lie detector”; and how to protect your identity.

The show runs 75 minutes and is a production of Red Mercury Entertainment, which books entertainment at the Strat. The producers are seeking a second ex-CIA operative so they can offer daily performances.

STANDING FOR THE BAND

This week’s Composers Showcase of Las Vegas at Smith Center’s Cabaret Jazz will feature a new song from Richard Oberacker’s Broadway-bound musical “Bandstand.” “This is Life” will be performed by the wife-husband team of Nicole Kaplan of “Steve Wynn’s Showstoppers” and Graham Fenton of the late “Jersey Boys.” The show starts at 10:30 p.m., “after theater,” as we say.

REOPENING THE VAULT

Remember when John Payneof Asia was at the center of “Raiding the Rock Vault” at Las Vegas Hilton and LVH? A lot of us do, before Payne was let go following a legal dispute with the show’s producers in the summer of 2014. Payne is back onstage with Asia FJP (Asia Featuring John Payne officially) Saturday night at Club Madrid at Sunset Station. To mark the moment, Payne has welcomed singer Carol-Lyn Liddle and keyboardist Jason Boyleston to perform a mini-“Rock Vault” reunion set. Also taking the stage will be Donnie Castlemanof the Terry Fator Band and Todd Rogers of the Gordie Brown Band.

John Katsilometes’ column runs Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday in the A section, and Fridays in Neon. He also hosts “Kats! On The Radio” Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on KUNV 91.5-FM and appears Wednesdays at 11 a.m. with Dayna Roselli on KTNV Channel 13. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.